| Mother's Day
Articles
by Adriana Copaceanu
It’s almost Valentine’s Day and you have no idea
how to show your love for your special girl. Don’t worry:
here are several ideas you can use now, and be a hero.
1. Roses! I know what you are thinking: boring, thoughtless,
not good enough, etc. Well, here is a way to make giving roses
very special: buy her a dozen roses and place a pearl inside each
rose bud. As the rose buds open, the pearls will be revealed as
an extra surprise. Once she finds all your pearls, take them to
the jewelry store and have them strung into a necklace - something
your true love will be able to hold onto once the roses are gone.
2. Say "I love you" for 12 entire months with a coupon
book filled with favors that she can redeem throughout the year.
Choose a different favor for each month of the year that she can
redeem on any day of the month. Here are some suggestions: a foot
massage, a back rub, cleaning up after dinner, a night out alone,
etc.
3. Hershey's Kisses automatically say, "I Love You”.
Try a new twist to this traditional gift by carefully unwrapping
each kiss, taking out the paper tag, and replacing the tag with
your own handmade messages that start off by saying, "I love
you because…". Think of as many different reasons as
you can come up with. Then carefully wrap the kisses back in foil
with their new tags clearly displayed through the top of each
kiss.
4. A romantic night at home - Purchase the dozen roses you
are accustomed to buying on Valentine's Day, but do not give them
to her on the stems. Instead, create a romantic atmosphere by
running her a hot bubble bath complete with candlelight, soft
love songs, and fragrant bath oil. While she is enjoying her relaxing
bath, gently pull the rose petals off of the stems and sprinkle
them from the bathroom door to the bedroom, creating a path for
her to follow. Sprinkle several petals on the bed and one long
stem rose on her pillow. Enhance the magical night by purchasing
some exotic massage oil and treating her to a massage she will
never forget!
5. If funds are sparse, instead of a traditional expensive
dinner in a restaurant, take her somewhere she will never suspect.
Pack a picnic basket filled with her favorite treats, a bottle
of wine, and candles. Take along a couple of blankets, a battery-operated
CD player, and several romantic CDs. Drive to the park or somewhere
with a secluded atmosphere and treat her to a picnic for two.
Before the night is over, surprise her with a small token of your
love - something you have made for her on your own (a special
Valentine’s Day card, a bookmark, a coupon book, etc.)
Now pick an idea and run with it! Have a fabulous Valentine’s
Day!
Adriana Copaceanu provides people with creative gift ideas
that don't blow the bank. You can find Gift Baskets & Gifts for all occasions at her
site. Want regular reminders on gift-giving? Sign up for Gift News her free monthly newsletter.
Adriana Copaceanu may be contacted at http://www.abcGiftsandBaskets.com or adriana@shentel.net
The Origins of Mother's Day
by Tony Luck
(3/2/06) Today Mother’s Day or Mothering Sunday is celebrated
all over the world. For florists and card shops the event is one
of the highlights of the year, but the roots of Mother’s
Day are not commercial.
Motherhood has been celebrated since ancient times. The ancient
Greeks paid homage to Rhea, the Mother of Gods; and there are
records of the ancient Romans worshiping a mother Goddess known
as Cybele as early as 260 BC. Festivals took place in the spring
which was the most fertile time of the year.
The more modern way of honoring mothers began in England in
the 1600s where Mothering Sunday was observed on the fourth Sunday
of Lent. This day is also known as ‘Refreshment Sunday’,
the only day when you are allowed to eat or do whatever you have
given up for Lent. Not surprisingly, families came together and
took the opportunity to party with a big meal at which mother
was treated as the guest of honor. Traditionally, mothers were
given posies of flowers and a cake.
The term ‘Mothering Sunday’ is now falling into disuse
and has mostly been replaced by ‘Mother’s Day’,
which is used the world over.
In the USA there were several attempts to introduce a Mother’s
Day as a way to celebrate peace and heal the scars of war. Julia
Ward, who wrote the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic,
suggested the idea in 1872. But the idea didn’t really take
off until Anna Jarvis campaigned for the establishment of a Mother’s
Day to commemorate her own mother who died in 1905. Ward’s
mother herself had tried to establish a similar holiday, Mother’s
Friendship Day, to heal the pain of the Civil War.
The first Mother’s Day in the USA was held in 1907 when
Julia Ward held a ceremony to honor her mother. She then successfully
campaigned for a formal holiday to honor mothers and by 1911 most
states had taken up the idea. This was followed in 1914 by a declaration
by President Woodrow Wilson that Mother’s Day should be celebrated
as a national holiday on the second Sunday in May. The idea quickly
spread to Canada and Mexico and many more countries throughout
the world.
The commercialization of Mother’s Day quickly followed,
much to the disgust of Anna Jarvis who was arrested in 1923 at
a Mother’s Day festival for trying to stop women selling
flowers. Jarvis said “I wanted it to be a day of sentiment
not profit.
Ironically Anna Jarvis campaigned for many years against the
commercialization of Mother’s Day, the day she had worked
so hard to establish.
Although she had no children of her own, each Mother’s
Day Anna received hundreds of cards from all over the world. Anna
Jarvis died in 1948.
Tony and Katy Luck run a site with advice on having babies.
The site includes the famous Chinese
pregnancy chart which predicts whether the baby you are expecting
will be a girl or a boy.
Tony Luck may be contacted at
7 Tips to a Memorable Mother's
Day
by Samantha Olea
(4/14/05) Mother’s Day is May 8th. And, you do realize
all of the things that the Mom in your life has done for you and
your family, right? Then you must know that a bouquet of flowers
and card, though very sweet, are not all it takes to make Mother’s
Day a true holiday.
To make Mother’s Day special for any Mom in your life,
try some of these tips:
1. Watch the kids!! Think of giving a “Kid Free Night”
Coupon or taking the kids to the park for a few hours.
2. Cook – No mother should ever have to cook on Mother’s
Day, so plan ahead. Pick out something for everyone to eat for
breakfast, lunch and dinner. It doesn’t have to be fancy,
just one less thing for Mom to worry about on her special day.
3. Pick up after the kids. Come on, now, if Mom is supposed to
feel pampered on this one day of the year, why should she have
to pick anything up? Leaving the mess, though, will likely cause
her stress, so help out by picking up.
4. Ask-Ahead of time, ask her what she wants to do. You may be
surprised at her answer. Even if it’s something you hate,
just think of all of the boxing matches and football games she
has smiled through.
5. BE NICE! All relationships have their good days and
their bad days. On Mother’s Day, no matter what, don’t
argue with a Mom. Its only 24 hours, you can handle it.
6. Have fun with it. Blow up balloons, throw a barbeque (where
no Moms are allowed to help cook or clean up), make banners, buy
a cake, play music, hide her shoes and force her to wear fuzzy
slippers all day with a paper crown made by the kids, just make
sure that she knows that this is her day!
7. Buy her something that she will cherish. Don’t buy her
something that she will have to use to cook or clean unless she
has absolutely requested it, and then I still wouldn’t. All
Moms love to look at their families, especially their children,
so look into personalized or photo gifts-put some real thought
into it.
Mother’s day should not be just another day with a few flowers
thrown in. Moms spend their lives taking care of the people that
they love, so one day of fun, pampering and rest should not be
too much to expect. Trust me, if you follow these tips, the mom
in your life won’t be struggling to remember next time she’s
asked, “What did you get for Mother’s Day?”
Samantha Olea is the mother of two and the owner of http://PaintedPlatesandBowls.com
where she sells her hand painted personalized plates, bowls and
photo plates for all occasions. Samantha is also the founder of
the national mother’s group, http://TheBestMoms.com where
she helps Moms get together and learn from each other.
Samantha Olea may be contacted at http://paintedplatesandbowls.com or sam@paintedplatesandbowls.com
How a Bicycle Helmet Saved Mother's
Day
by Lucy MacDonald
(4/22/04) Apart from the fact that I am the mother of four,
Mother’s Day holds an added significance for me thanks to
a life-saving bicycle helmet. It was Mother's Day in 1992 and
my husband was in the kitchen preparing his traditional Sunday
dinner. The phone rang and a strange voice told us that our oldest
son Clayton, aged 18 at the time (he's 30 now!!), was lying on
someone's front lawn about five blocks from our house. We drove
like crazy, as any parent would when presented with such a phone
call, to get there as fast as we could.
As we came over the rise, about half a block away, I saw my
son covered in a yellow sheet. I heard myself scream, then without
thinking, I opened the door of the van before my husband could
stop and jumped out. Approaching him, I saw him move, and knew
that he was alive. His “hey, Mom” were sweet words indeed.
He had hit a patch in the street that was under repair. He flew
over the handle bars, landing on his shoulder and his head. His
collarbone was broken, his helmet was cracked in many places,
but his head was not injured. There is no doubt in my mind that
his bicycle helmet saved him from serious brain injury and perhaps
even death.
I was reminded again about helmets and safety while out cycling
yesterday and noticed that many cyclists do not wear helmets.
If you are an adult and choose not to wear a helmet that’s
up to you, however you might want to make a visit to your local
physical rehabilitation facility and watch someone who has a head
injury go through occupational, physical and speech-language therapy.
If you are a parent please make sure your child wears a helmet.
The best way to make sure that your child wears a helmet is to
wear one yourself when you cycle. Helmets do not prevent accidents
but they certainly reduce head injuries. Medical research shows
that helmets prevent 85% of cyclist head injuries. The World Health
Organization Helmet Initiative www.sph.emory.edu/Helmets/ promotes
the use of helmets world-wide.
This Mother’s Day, (which is May 9th in Canada and the
U.S.), I will be reminded once again, as we are all sitting around
the dinner table, how grateful I am that my son was wearing a
bicycle helmet.
Lucy MacDonald, M.Ed., is the Canadian author of the positive
thinking, self-help book, Learn to be an Optimist. Lucy publishes
a free newsletter, Positive Perspectives, designed to help you
gain and maintain a positive attitude. Visit Lucy’s site
at http://www.lucymacdonald.com for free optimism quotes and self-improvement
articles.
Lucy MacDonald may be contacted at http://www.lucymacdonald.com or lucy@lucymacdonald.com
Making a Mother's Day Memory
by Carolina Fernandez
(8/9/05) "Of all the rights of women, the greatest is
to be a mother." Lin Yutang
When Anna Jarvis stood at her mother’s gravesite nearly
one hundred years ago, she vowed to establish a day to honor not
only the mother in her own life—but to honor mothers everywhere.
The activism she observed firsthand in her mother’s fight
to improve the living conditions of those battling poverty motivated
her to carry on an activist project of her own: celebrating mothers
who had come before her, mothers in her own lifetime, and mothers
whose times had not yet come.
The tradition of giving white carnations to mothers was started
just a couple years later, and within nine years—with the
U.S. Congress passing a joint resolution—Mother’s Day
was officially established to celebrate a woman’s role in
the family.
The holiday was never to have been made into a commercial brouhaha.
Indeed, Anna Jarvis would be rolling over in her grave with the
success of Hallmark’s Mother’s Day revenues alone. For
she desired that the day be celebrated with sentiment rather than
with profit; that flowers and hand-written notes of appreciation
be given away.
So just how can we celebrate Mother’s Day as a holiday
with those we love—and yet honor the wishes of its founder?
How can we encourage others to express loving sentiments to us—rather
than encourage them to purchase loving sentiments? And where does
chocolate fit into the Mother’s Day equation for crying out
loud?!?
Get started:
Encourage handmade.
I have saved every one of the handmade cards my children have
ever made me. Cute as they are upon presentation, they are downright
priceless a decade later. Call me a sentimental schmuck: the same
hand that wrote my first Mother’s Day card is now filling
out college applications. Don’t ever let your kids buy commercial
Mother’s Day cards. Make sure they know where the stamps,
ink pads, stickers, glitter (I know I know), glue, colored markers,
art pencils, and blank stationery are stored in your home. And
encourage their creativity.
Encourage home baked.
There is, after all, nothing quite like breakfast in bed. Especially
on Mother’s Day. It reads: “I adore you, my love. Stay
in bed awhile. Relax. You’ve worked so hard.” Or something
like that. You get the idea. Encourage your entourage to treat
you with home baked coffeecake, cinnamon rolls, biscuits, or buttered
toast; they’ll be special because your hubby and children
made them just for you. Even if they whacked the can against the
kitchen counter to produce those little tasties, go with it and
relish the moment.
Encourage home cooked.
But only if he can do it. I mean, seriously, if the guy can’t
boil water, don’t expect him to produce a gourmet six-course
dinner. Much better to go to your local diner. But if he becomes
inspired to cook for you—as mine did only once in twenty-two
years—then go for it. Relax on your favorite upholstered
chair and let him go crazy in your kitchen, if just for a day.
Encourage hand picked.
Ok. It’s a stretch. But expensive roses are not for everybody,
you know. While a bouquet of hand-picked wild flowers may or may
not cut it for me, a bunch of daffodils would. As would a single
lovely hyacinth. If the scent of spring flowers wafting through
your home arouses your aesthetic sensibilities, then tell hubby
that this year, you’d prefer sprouted bulbs.
Get brilliant:
For those of us too addicted to our society’s conceived
notions of the proper care and feeding of mother on Mother’s
Day, here are a few more options:
Go fancy.
Leave the kids at home and let hubby treat his queen to the most
exquisite restaurant he can afford. Mother’s Day comes but
once a year, after all. Get gussied up, dressed up, and psyched
up for a night out on the town. Splurge big-time. No holds barred.
It’ll fill your tank for months.
Go custom.
Encourage hubby to treat you to something that you really really
want. Granted, the elm wood Venetian easel with a lovely oil finish
that I’ve asked for might not turn you on, but it is what
I really, really want for Mother’s Day this year. My oil
paintings have taken over our major living areas and I need another
easel. But the survey would say: you could probably care less
for that. What do you dearly desire? Put a bug in hubby’s
ear and encourage him to surprise you on Mother’s Day. A
spring outfit? Cute handbag? New perfume? Pedicure? It’s
easy. Just let your kids figure it out and they’ll pass it
on to the wallet-holder in no time.
Go chocolate.
It’s always the answer. I don’t care what the question
is. The predilection for chocolate is nearly universally human—as
proven by at least seventeen university studies—and carries
back, by some estimates, to more than 75,000 years. Early explorers
in South America used it as currency and sold it in solid bars.
My favorite is as bitter and dark as you’ll ever find, with
85% cocoa. Yours might be sweet milk chocolate. Indulge. But be
careful. You don’t want to die from chocolate-induced coma
on Mother’s Day.
Go easy.
Most of all, you need a break on Mother’s Day. Put your feet
up. Get comfortable. Relax with a book. Or a magazine. Allow yourself
the dizzying liberation of being downright lazy for just one day.
Most importantly, love the ones you’re with. My guess
is they are the very ones who made you a mommy in the first place.
Happy, happy Mother’s Day!
Carolina Fernandez earned an M.B.A. and worked at IBM and as
a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch before coming home to work as a
wife and mother of four. She totally re-invented herself along
the way. Strong convictions were born about the role of the arts
in child development; ten years of homeschooling and raising four
kids provide fertile soil for devising creative parenting strategies.
These are played out in ROCKET MOM! 7 Strategies To Blast You
Into Brilliance. It is widely available online, in bookstores
or through 888-476-2493. She writes extensively for a variety
of parenting resources and teaches other moms via seminars, workshops,
keynotes and monthly meetings of the ROCKET MOM SOCIETY, a sisterhood
group she launched to “encourage, equip and empower moms
for excellence.” Please visit www.rocketmom.com.
Carolina Fernandez may be contacted at http://rocketmom.com or emomrx@yahoo.com
A New Found Respect For
My Mother
by Trevor Kugler
I'm currently raising my three year old daughter by myself
and was struck recently by the fact that I can't believe my mother
raised me and my two sisters. Don't get me wrong she had my father
to help, but he spent much of our growing up years traveling in
order to make money for the family. So she was left to deal with
three kids for a majority of the time.
I used to think that my father was the one that worked hard
and all my mom did was "stay at home with the kids".
It was true that she stayed at home with the kids, but now I know
just how difficult that must have been. Now that I deal with just
one kid asking me over and over again if she can "be a doggy",
I realize that my mother was the one that worked hard. Hell, going
to a job to deal with other adults is easy compared to dealing
with a single child, let alone three!
So here I am, some thirty years later, wondering how it was
that my mother kept her sanity. Actually she's had some issues
in the past, which I now understand completely. Spending all day
everyday with your child, although rewarding in many ways, can
be the most mind numbing experience that can be imagined. Although
I would rather be with my daughter than send her to daycare, I
realize why many people send the children to daycare or some other
activity for a "break". Without intermittent breaks,
many people would fall straight off the deep end.
The bottom line is that in the wonderful way this universe
works, through my daughter, I've been given the gift of a new
found respect for my mother. When my daughter has me ready to
break down and cry from the incessant questions about coloring
and play dough, I just think of my Mom and wonder how in the world
she did it without trying to shoot herself.
Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler.
He specializes in ultra light trout fishing. He has more than
20 years experience fishing for all types of fish. He currently
raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing
country…..Montana!
Catch
More Fish With JRW
Learn Some New Fishing Tips
For Pennies!!!
Sign up for our
FREE E-zine and get $10 for your trouble.
Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and founder of
yourmoneyconnection.com. He has more than 15 years of business
experience and 25 years of fishing experience. He currently raises
his 3 year old daughter in Montana.
Sign up for our
FREE E-zine and get $10 for your trouble.
Start Catching
More Fish!
Catch More Fish
With JRW! Trevor Kugler may be contacted at http://www.jrwfishing.com or tkugler@jrwfishing.com |
